Sewing machine needle



May 13, 1958 w. J. HLEB SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE Filed May 19, 1955INVENTOR. BY William cl H/eb W 9- nited States Patent 2,834,310 SEWINGMACHINE NEEDLE William J. Hleb, Elizabeth, N. J., assignor to The SingerManufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication May 19, 1955, Serial No. 509,654

6 Claims. (Cl. 112-226) The present invention relates to sewing machinesand has for a primary object to provide a sewing machine needle wherebythree parallel lines of stitching can be simultaneously produced. Moreparticularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved needle construction somewhat similar to the so-calledtwin-needles as disclosed in the copending application of Platt, SerialNo. 466,991 now Patent No. 2,722,904.

issued Nov. 8, 1955, but having three blades carried by a single shankand to provide means for securing together the three blades and singleshankin' which these elements are so connected that they will be lockedagainst relative motion to preclude any accidental displacement out ofoperative relation.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from anunderstanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices,combinations and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presentlypreferred embodiment of the invention which is hereinafter set forth insuch detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understandthe function, operation, construction and advantages of it when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a needle constructed in accordance withthe present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Fig. 1, butillustrating the other side of the needle and being partly in sectionand on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a section view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

In accordance with this invention there is provided an element 1 whichis a needle of substantially conventional construction and includes ashank 2 having the usual flat side 3, and a blade 4 having the usualeyepointed work-penetrating end 5 with the thread-eye 6 and thelongitudinally-arranged long groove 7 and short groove 8 on oppositesides thereof. The present needle is secured to the needle-bar of asewing machine (not shown) in the usual fashion by the shank 2. Betweenthe blade 4 and shank 2 is an intermediate portion 9 which is taperedfrom the shank 2 toward the blade 4. The blade 4 of the element 1 isflanked by a pair of secondary needle blades comprising a right blade 10and a left blade 11 which are formed the same as the blade 4, i. e.,each includes an eye-pointed work-penetrating end 5 with a thread-eye 6,and grooves 7 and 8. The blades 10 and 11 are arranged parallel to theblade 4 and in a single plane with and directly opposite the blade 4,and have butt ends 12 which overlap the intermediate portion 9 of theelement 1. The blades 10 and 11 are fixed in this position by aconnector 13 which is castin place about the overlapping portions of thebutt ends 12 of the blades 10 and 11 and the intermediate portion 9.Although, of course, it is not limited to any specific material, theconnector 13 is preferably formed of nylon.

As will be readily understood, the relationship between the blades 4, 10and 11 and the loop-taker (not shown) at loop seizure is very critical.The loop-taker with which the present needle is designed to be used is arotary hook arranged on an axis parallel to the line of feed and normalto the plane defined by the :three blades. The loop-taker seizes theloops of needle thread from the blades on the sides thereof with theshort grooves 8. It is essential that the blades 4, 10 and 11 bearranged in a plane that is parallel to and spaced only a very shortdistance from the plane defined by the path of motion of theloop-seizing beak'of the looptaker so that the loop-seizing beak of theloop-beaker will pick the loop of needle thread successively from eachof the blades. The vertical alignment of the blades is also critical inthat the position of the blades vertically relative to the beak of theloop-taker must be proper to insure that the thread loop will be seizedfrom the blade. Accordingly, it is necessary that the element 1 and theblades 10 and 11 be so mounted that they will remain in the desiredposition during use, it being noted that the axial thrust on the bladeat work-penetration and the pull upon the needle as it is withdrawn andthe forces tending to rotate the blades 10 and 11 about the element 1are substantial. To preclude axial displacement of the blades 10 and 11relative to the connector 13, each of the blades is provided with adishshaped indent 14, which also acts to prevent rotation of the blades10 and 11 in the connector 13. The element 1 is provided with an indent15 in the side thereof which together with the converging surface oftheintermediate portion 9 of the element 1 prevents displacement of theconnector 13 axially relative to the element 1. The indent 15 togetherwith the fiat side 3 which is extended through the intermediate portion9, as can best be seen in Fig. 3, prevents rotation of the connector 13relative to the element 1. I

By the above construction, there has been provided a three-blade needlein which the two secondary blades 10 and 11 are firmly embedded in theconnector 13 and held against both axial displacement and rotationrelative thereto by means of the embedded ends of the blade and theindents 14, the blades 10 and 11 being identical and therebyinterchangeable which eliminates the necessity for specially designedright and left blades. The connector 13 is in turn fixed to the element1 and is also secured against axial displacement and rotation relativethereto by the converging side walls of the intermediate portion 9, thatportion of the fiat side 3 extending into said intermediate portion 9,and the indent 15.

Having thus described the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:

1. A three-blade sewing machine needle comprising a needle elementhaving an eye-pointed workrpenetrating blade, a shank and a taperedintermediate portion converging from said shank to said blade, saidshank having a flat side extending into said intermediate portion, apair of needle-blades arranged parallel to and in a plane with saidelement with one of said blades disposed upon each side of said element,each of said blades having an eye-pointed work-penetrating end and abutt end, the butt ends of said blades being arranged in overlappingrelation With the intermediate portion of said element, and a connectorcast in place about the butt ends of said blades and the intermediateportion of said element which are thereby embedded in said connector,the embedded butt ends of said blades and intermediate portion of saidshank having indents formed therein, which indents together with theembedded ends of said blades, the converging side walls of theintermediate portion and the portion of the fiat side extending intosaid intermediate portion, will prevent both rotation and axial movementof said-element and blades relative to said connector.

2. A sewing machine unitary needle assembly comprising, a needle elementhaving an eye-pointed workpenetrating blade, a shank and an intermediateportion located between said shank and said blade, said shank having afiat side extending into said intermediate portion, a pair of secondaryneedle-blades arranged parallel to and in a plane with said element withone of said blades disposed upon each side of said element, each of saidsecondary blades having an eye-pointed workpenetrating end and a buttend, the butt ends of said secondary blades being arranged inoverlapping relation with the intermediate portion of said element, anda connector cast in place about the butt ends of said secondary bladesand the intermediate portion of said element which are thereby embeddedin said connector, the embedded ends of said secondary blades havingindents formed in the same face of the blades.

3. A sewing machine unitary needle assembly comprising, a needle elementhaving an eye-pointed workpenetrating blade, a shank and an intermediateportion located between said shank and said blade, said shank having aflat side extending into said intermediate portion, a pair of secondaryneedle-blades arranged parallel to and in a plane with said element withone of said blades disposed upon each side of said element, each of saidsecondary blades having an eye-pointed workpenetrating end and a buttend, the butt ends of said secondary blades being arranged inoverlapping relation with the intermediate portion of said element, anda connector cast in place about the butt ends of said secondary bladesand the intermediate portion of said element which are thereby embeddedin said connector, the embedded ends of said secondary blades havingindents formed in the same face of the blades, and the intermediateportion of said needle element having an indent formed'therein andthereby providing a flat surface disposed at an angle to'the flat sideof said shank.

4. A multiple blade sewing machine needle comprising a first needlehaving an eye-pointed work-penetrating blade, a shank for securing saidneedle in the needle clamp of a sewing machine, and an inter-mediateportion, a needle blade arranged in opposed spaced parallel relationrelatively to the blade of said first needle and having an eye-pointedwork-penetrating end and a butt end, the butt end of said blade beingarranged in overlapping relation relatively to the intermediate portionof said first needle, and means for securing said first needle and saidneedle blade in assembled relation comprising a connector cast in placeabout the butt end of said blade and the intermediate portion of saidfirst needle.

5. A multiple blade sewing machine needle in accordance with claim 4 inwhich the shank and the blade of said first needle'are of differentdiameters and the transition between the two diameters is made in theintermediate portion thereof in the area embedded in said connector.

6. A multiple "blade sewing machine needle in accordance with claim 4 inwhich the first needle and the needle blade are provided with a notch inthe area embeddedin said connector.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS437,944 Stein Oct. 7, 1890 FOREIGN PATENTS 681,698 Great Britain Oct.29, 1952 920,222 Germany Nov. 15, 1954 921,732 Germany Dec. 23, 1954312,141 Switzerland Feb. 29, 1956

